Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I will not highlight names, but there are members in the House who do not have their mask on.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 52% of the vote.
An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19 November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I will not highlight names, but there are members in the House who do not have their mask on.
Points of Order November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I can truly say that I had no intentions of offending anyone or any rule. In the last hybrid session, in order to facilitate ministers who were virtual, I was afforded the opportunity to do exactly what I did earlier today. No offence was made, and I did get the opportunity to at least share what I was going to be doing with the opposition House leader, as I did not want to surprise him. I apologize for not extending the same courtesy to the NDP and the Bloc, but it is no different than what we did during the hybrid sittings last summer.
An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19 November 26th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I always find it somewhat fascinating when the member tries to lecture us all about basic economics.
I would convey to the member that Canadians were in a time of need, and this government stepped up and provided programs, whether it was direct support through CERB, or through business and wage loss programs or rent subsidy programs, which, yes, I concede, cost billions of dollars. Some within the Conservative/Reform Party would have liked us not to have supported Canadians and businesses. I wonder if the member would provide his true thoughts in regard to whether or not he believes that we should have supported families in Canada in all regions.
Just the other day, we had members of his caucus saying that there are hundreds of millions that we need to spend, and more, in the province of British Columbia, and we will do that to support B.C. What does the member think of that?
An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19 November 26th, 2021
Supply and demand.
Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees November 25th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if we can continue using the member for Beauce as an example. He was around other members of the Conservative caucus, which means there are members who no doubt have to potentially self-quarantine. The opposition House leader indicated that he was getting his second test today. We could have a situation where we could have many members of the official opposition, because of the pandemic, being completely disengaged without a motion of this nature passing.
Would the member acknowledge that is not a healthy thing for our Parliament?
Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees November 25th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I should have known better. You are right on the ball.
The Conservative Party in Manitoba, the Liberal Party in Manitoba and the NDP in Manitoba are today sitting in a hybrid system. They are having question period. They actually have members of the legislative assembly who have COVID-19, and they are able to continue on. It seems it is just the Conservative Party, and I do not know how they conned the Bloc into it, that has made the decision that somehow this is anti-democratic. However, the hybrid system is something we can all benefit from.
The pandemic is not behind us, and my question to the member is: Will he not recognize what the Province of Manitoba and other jurisdictions have? There is nothing wrong with having a hybrid, and this has a sunset. It ends in June.
Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees November 25th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, “hypocrisy” is a word that is unparliamentary, so I will not use it. Having said that, I can tell members that the Progressive Conservative Party, the NDP and the Liberal Party—
Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees November 25th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Members on the other side of the House know full well it is not appropriate to be talking about the absence or presence of members. I can assure the member that I took the days in which we were hybrid very seriously and I showed up. I might not have been physically in this seat, but I was in the House of Commons. That is why we had the hybrid, and I worked.
Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees November 25th, 2021
Madam Speaker, I do not quite understand why the Conservatives oppose this motion. They are the ones who have decided to make this political.
My daughter gave a virtual speech inside the Manitoba legislature today. In Manitoba, the leader of the official opposition has COVID-19, and because it is virtual he is able to participate as the leader of the official opposition. There is a member of the House today who is not able to come in because of COVID-19. It is a reality that the pandemic is not over. No one is saying that there will be no members inside the House; in fact, it is quite the opposite.
Does the member believe that the Progressive Conservative government in Manitoba is wrong by having a hybrid system? Is it assaulting democracy by having a hybrid system? The Conservative opposition really needs to understand that this is about enabling members like the member's own colleague, the member for Beauce.
Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees November 25th, 2021
Madam Speaker, I do not quite understand the Bloc's logic. The legislature of the Province of Manitoba, my home province, is sitting today. It has a hybrid system, which was non-controversial. Everyone understood the safety and health benefits, the need for strong leadership, and it is not a political controversy at all.
We are doing something of a very similar nature. There is a sunset provision, so it ends by the time we get into June. It seems to me that maybe the Bloc was kind of conned into this by its cozy cousin the Conservative Party.
I wonder if the member has any regrets not recognizing that there is absolutely nothing wrong with enfranchising and enabling parliamentarians at a time when they could be infected by COVID to be able to participate fully, like the leader of the official opposition in the Province of Manitoba today.